The Fictionalists and Talking Heads have Serial Killers All Wrong

Or so says a new FBI report. But does the FBI have any pull at CNN? Nah.

"On television and the silver screen," says the FBI, "serial killers are usually white males and dysfunctional loners who really want to get caught. Or, they’re super-intelligent monsters who frustrate law enforcement at every turn.... much of the information out there is wrong." Find out the truth in a new report, the FBI Report on Serial Murder: Multidisciplinary Perspectives.

Some of its more interesting points:

"Serial murder is neither a new phenomenon, nor is it uniquely American. Dating back to ancient times, serial murderers have been chronicled around the world."

"A growing trend that compounds the fallacies surrounding serial murder is the talking heads phenomenon. Given creditability by the media, these self-proclaimed authorities profess to have an expertise in serial murder. They appear frequently on television and in the print media and speculate on the motive for the murders and the characteristics of the possible offender, without being privy to the facts of the investigation."

"The media’s role in reporting the facts of a case is a major public service. However, providing a forum for speculative commentary can be counter-productive and potentially dangerous. Public comments on an active investigation with incomplete or incorrect information are merely speculation and can seriously jeopardize an ongoing case and place citizens at great risk."

Comments

[Kevin M. Sullivan]

Ah, the talking-heads of the cable news stations...they are but children-at-play. Well paid children, mind you, but children nevertheless!

[Inspector Winship]

Nancy Grace is not going to appreciate this.

[mrserialkiller]

How ironic that the FBI complain about Hollywood getting their facts wrong (but then when does Hollywood worry about substance over a good storyline). Authorities continue to quote 'profiling' in the hunt for serial killers, the reality is that profiling has never caught a single serial killer and likely never will.
Yes we all know the story of Dr Russell, but his description of George Mutasky (spl) never actually led to his arrest, it was good old detective work.

Mart

[Jean Murley]

Finally, the FBI comes clean about serial killers! The agency was instrumental in creating the mythology around serial killing and profiling, partly to secure funding during the 1980s, when its own fortunes were on the wane. Glad to see they've corrected the information that they have wrongly disseminated for years. Now they can focus on creating a new mythology around the terrorist threat. Hmmmm.